BBKA Forum

Hi everyone,

Today was the day I planned to retire the mini mating hive to the garage and let the bees find a new home within the apiary. I noticed they were slow moving when I opened up. Upon inspection I discovered no pollen, no food, just capped brood.
This is the same mini mating hive I took the queen from last week and put in a queenless colony.
The capped brood looked chewed and the comb brittle. I could see no signs of deformed wings. I wouldn't know what else to look for.
Assuming (dangerous, I know) they were just starving, I cut out the combs from the frames and fixed them into a shallow frame with elastic bands and swapped that frame for the most-capped frame in my biggest colony's super. I then tipped out the mini mating hive in front of the largest hive and stuck it in the garage with the entrance shut and no way in.

Images below show what I mean regarding chewed caps:





Does anyone know what this is? Any thoughts or comments?

Have wasps been getting in?

I'm thinking the same as Chris, looks like wasp damage.

Wasps have been terrorising my other colonies - this mating hive was on the other side of the garden so I hadn't noticed but it's likely they've got in.

Well they'll not be an issue any more as the combs have been cut out and stuck in a shallow frame in a stronger colony's super

Mini nucs this time of year are lovely cornershops for wasps. Easy to overrun, full of of bees, nectar, pollen, grubs, eggs, all full of carbs or protein. Perfect snack for their colony.

Cheers Chris,

I will have to keep an eye on this in future. Only in the last few weeks have wasps started bothering my colonies - yet already I detest their presence. It feels like there is nothing I can do.

Might just buy a multi pack of wasp traps and hang them everywhere in the garden. Horrible things.